Mitihoon – i-Tail Corporation PCL (ITC), a global leader in the pet food industry, unveiled its 2026 innovation strategy, targeting innovation to contribute 15% of total revenue in 2026. The ambition builds on strong momentum, with innovation accounting for 11% of the company’s total net sales value in the first nine months of 2025.
The strategy reflects a global shift toward pet wellness and longevity. Following the surge in pet adoption during the pandemic, many of these pets are now entering more mature life stage. As a result, pet parents are increasingly seeking nutrition with clear, science-backed health benefits to support long-term health and wellness. This is reflected in market projections, with the pet nutraceuticals market expected to reach USD 8.84 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2026[1].
In response, i-Tail has been accelerating the development of health-driven solutions across its global portfolio, with 548 product innovation SKUs launched in 2024-2025. These efforts underscore i-Tail’s long-term ambition to be a leading innovation-driven pet food manufacturer.
Pahk Shewaruksakul, Chief Commercial Officer of i-Tail Corporation PCL, said, “In 2026, the market will continue shifting toward food and treats that deliver clear and credible health benefits for pets. As this trend accelerates, innovation becomes increasingly central to i-Tail’s growth and long-term performance. Our innovation strategy is focused on science-led nutrition that supports longevity, fits seamlessly into everyday feeding, and is enjoyable for pets.”
Three pillars of i-Tail’s innovation strategy
- Advancing innovation through open collaboration
i-Tail works closely with major global customers from the early stages of concept development, co-creating products that combine market insights with i-Tail’s research and development expertise. In parallel, the company partners with the academic and research community to strengthen the scientific foundations of its innovation. In collaboration with five leading universities in Thailand, i-Tail has established research platforms that advance nutrition science by bridging academic insights with real-world product development.
These external partnerships are reinforced by Thai Union Group’s innovation ecosystem, including i-Cattery, i-Tail’s dedicated feline research facilities, as well as Global PetCare Innovation Center and the Group’s Global Innovation Center, to support product development, testing, and scale-up toward commercial launch.
- Pet food journey toward longevity
As pets are increasingly seen as family members, expectations of pet food are evolving beyond basic nutrition toward long-term health. In response, i-Tail is advancing functional and science-led solutions to support longevity, with the ambition to expand into nutraceuticals and personalized nutrition by 2030.
The company is also scaling health-driven innovations into accessible, everyday formats, to make functional benefits a part of daily diets rather than limited to niche or specialty products. i-Tail integrates a range of functional ingredients across its portfolio, such as protein hydrolysates —high-quality, easily digestible proteins that help reduce the risk of food-related allergies and improve nutrient absorption, as well as seafood-based ingredients like tuna oil and tuna bone calcium, which draw on Thai Union Group’s marine nutrition expertise.
These solutions are supported by manufacturing and processing approaches that preserve nutritional integrity and are underpinned by responsible sourcing and traceability.
- Science-backed innovation with proven palatability
At i-Tail, scientific credibility is paired with real-world enjoyability for pets. This means palatability is embedded as a core research and development principle. The feline research center, i-Cattery, enables structured product testing under real-life conditions, generating insights into feline preferences and ensuring products pets love—while accelerating product development by up to three times. Between 2023 and 2025, i-Tail conducted 795 product tests through i-Cattery for 20 leading global pet food brands.
i-Tail’s commitment to responsible, science-led innovation is reinforced by i-Cattery’s AAALAC accreditation, the global benchmark for animal welfare. i-Tail is the world’s only pet food manufacturer to achieve AAALAC certification, strengthening trust in its products among consumers, partners, and industry stakeholders.
Together, the three pillars of i-Tail’s innovation strategy will shape the future of PetCare—advancing responsible, science-led nutrition that enables healthier and happier lives for pets and pet parents.
[1] Mordor Intelligence
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